Clothing that fits

Over the week-end I happened to see 20 mins of an old Hindi movie playing on one of the channels . The 2 good guys in it embark on a rescue mission to save the heroine .  They reach the bad guy's's den , knock-out 2 guards and wear their uniforms . The new clothes fit the good guys perfectly . That's when the awareness dawns that 'this is a movie' . A fantasy world where one can knock out an absolute stranger and the stranger's clothes fit like a second skin . In the real world consumers go from store to store in elusive search of clothes that have a decent fit .

Western wear for women in India is particularly challenging in this regard . Very few brands have managed to understand the need for and the nuances of a good fit . Most of the brands seem to believe that the target consumers resemble the models in their ads . 'Who is the target consumer for this range ? ' is a question that invariably echoes in visits to most women's wear stores that retail formal (western) wear in India . If the color and design look good then fit is often unacceptable and vice-versa . 

The brand's still evolving understanding of the consumer body types faces the additional challenge that in a country like India body structures vary from region to region . Throw in the factor of age-groups , life-style , socio-economic segments and the result is a situation that makes solving the global climate change more doable .

The silver lining to this is that the female consumer in India (endeavouring to buy western wear) can save a lot of money which would otherwise have been spent on clothing . Banks - pl note this phenomenon and target women consumers with investment plans .